Third-rail electric-railway system.



M. M. MARX.

THIRD RAIL ELECTRIC RAILWAY SYSTEM.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 12,1912.

Patented June 3. 1913.

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Specification of mtters Patent.

Application filed June 12, 1912. Serial No. 703,119.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, Monnis M. MARX, a

. citizen of the United States, and residing at New York,.in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented cerwhich it appertains to make and use the is divided into separate insulated sections, and the object of the invention is to rovideimproved means whereby only those secsame. p

This invention relates to third rail electric railway systems, and particularly to systems of this class in which the third rail tions of the third rail over which a car or train is passing willibe in circuit are ener- ZQ'glZed by an electric current passing therethrough," a further object beingto provide a third rail electric railway system of this class with signal devices located the entrance to each section or block of the track 5 formed b the division of the third rail into sections, and which are operated, or in operation, as long as the car-or train is passingover said block or section, thus giving notice to a following train that said block or sco 1 tion is occupied; other objects being to pro, vide a third rail electric railway systemof.-

the class specified in which no covering for the third rail is required, and in wh ch a high voltage can be employed at a minimum 5 cost, and in which there will be no loss of current on account of dampness or rain, the rails of the track being normally dead, and in which there is a minim um of danger from short circuits or from persons being injured or killed by coming in contact with a live rail; a still further object being to absolutely prevent collision between cars or trains' one of which is following'another; and with these and other objects in view the invention consists in a third rail electric railway system constructed and operated as hereinafter described and claimed.

The invention is fully disclosed in the following specification of which the accom panymg drawing forms a part, in which the separate parts of my invention are designated by suitable reference characters in each of the views, and in which Figure l. is a diagrammatic view of a third rail electric railway system involving my in ention, and ;-F ig. 2 a partial cross and on an enlarged scale, and showing only parts of a'switch mechanism which I en ploy. i

In Fig. 1 of the accompanying drawing I have shown at a the track rails of Z1 insulated, as shown at bhand at c l have shown the main feed. wire or conductor of an electric railway system of this class,

The division of the third rail Z) into separate sections or parts divides the railway system into separate sections or blocks, as will be readily understood, and the separate z'sectionsor partsof the third rail may be of any desired length or from one-eighth to "one-half a mlle or more, if desired. I also place at the beginning of each section. or block or the railway, and inside one of the rails of the track andadjacent to one of said rails, a switch device or apparatus 0!, three of which are shown, and the construction of 'WlllCll is as follows zi -Tue switch device or "apparatus d lllVOlVGS box or casing d having a spring supported plunger (Z adapted. to be operated by the flange of a wheel of a car or cars passing over the adjacent rail,"

andfthe plunger 01 operates in connection with a terminal arm d pivoted at (Z and held in operativeposition by a spring d, and said terminal arm operates in connection' with a bell-crank lever Z pivoted at (Z and one arm of which is provided with a terminal. hook-head d in connection with which the arm (Z operates, and the other arm of which is provided with a weighted armature d which operates in connection with an electromagnet (Z Thebell-crank lever (Z is normally supported in operative position by a stop pin d, and a switch arm a? is'pivoted at d,

' and a conductor d *leads from the feed wire c'to the switchharm and another conductor d connects the arm (Z with the arm (i The counterpart at the switch arm el is a post d" located adjacent to said arm d, and a conductor (Z leads therefrom to the crank lever (Z at d and another conductor 01" connects the magnet d of each switchdevice or apparatus d with thecranlolcver of the nextswitch device or apparatus in front thereof, and another conductor (Z connects the other side of the magnet d, with one of the rails a of the track, and a conductor all connects the conductor of? with the corre I a third i'ail'electric railway system, at I) the third rail which is divided into separate sections Patented June 3, 1913,

sectional'view on the line 22 of Fig. 1 I

spending third rail section, and this complctes the construction of the switch mechanisms or devices at. I

Adjacent'to and corresponding with each of the switch devices or mechanisms (1 or at the entrance to each of the blocks or sections of the track is placed a signal device or apparatus involving red and green lights and f pl; ced in two local circuits, the green. light f being in a normally closed circuit formed by an armature arm j"-, circuit conductors f and f and a battery f, and the red light being in a normally open circuit formed by a conductor e'- in connection'withthe conductor f and adapted to he closed by the armature arm f and the armature arm f is operated in one directionby aspring g, and in the other direction by an electro-magnet 9 placed in a circuit formed by conductors g l and 7*, the first of which connects with the conductor d"? of the corresponding'switch device or apparatus, and the other of which connects with one of the rails of the track.

With this construction, as a car or train passes over the rails of the track a wheel or the wheels thereof operate the plunger d, and the (i is forced into engagement with the hoolrhead cl of the bell-crank lever al This establishes a circuit from the feed wire or conductor 0 through the conductor (Z the conductor d, the arm (Z, the bell-crank lever (E the conductor Z and the conductor (Z to the corresponding Section 5 of the third rail, and the car or cars get their power from said section of the third rail. At the same time another circuit is established through the conductor and the conductor 1 through the magnet 52 and conductor g to one of the rails of the track, and this energizes said magnet and draws the armature f into engagement withthe terminal of the circuit wire 6 This breaks the circuit through the green light f and establishes circuit through the red light 1 and said red light remains-in operation until the car or cars enter the next forward block, When the next .forward block is reached the plunger (Z of the corresponding signal device or apparatus (5 is operated by the wheel or wheels of the car or cars and the power circuit is established the same as in the last block, and a current is established through the wire (i back to the magnet (i of the block over which the car or cars have already passed,' and through the conductor (2 to an adjacent rail of the track and said magnet is energized and the armature d of the corre sponding bell-cranlt lever '65 is drawn toward the corresponding magnet ti, and the connection of the hoolehead d of said bell-crank lever of the corresponding arm (3 is broken, and. this also breaks the corresponding circuit through the corresponding section of the third rail together with the circuit controlling the corresponding red light a, and this restores the circuit controlling the corresponding green light f.

The object of the switch formed by the parts and d" and their electrical connections is to provide means for establishing a power circuit by hand, if the mechanism of theswitch device or apparatus, operated by the wheel or wheels of a caror cars, should get out of operatlon or become inoperative for any reasomat which time the switch arln a? may bethrown into connection with the parts rl and a power circuit would be established through the conductors d, d and d, and this will also establish a circuit through the red light 6 of the corresponding signal device or mechanism.

In Fig. 1 Act the accompanying drawing two full blocks of the track are shown .and three of the switch devices .or apparatus a? and three of the signal devices or apparatus involving the red and green lights 6 and f,

and from the foregoing description 'it will be seen that, as the train or car proceeds over the track the third rail section of'each block is energized and the section behind is denergized as the car or train reaches departing from the spirit of my invention or sacrificing its advantages.

Having fully described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. In third rail electric railwaysystem,

a third rail which is divided into separate insulated parts dividing the track into blocks, a main feed wire or conductor, and a switch apparatus placed at the beginning ofeach block and in electrical connection with the corresponding third rail section and main feed wire, said switch device including a plunger operated byv the wheels of a car or cars, an arm op edby said plunger, a spring for holding st. 2. arm and said plunger both in inoperative posicheel or tion, a bell-crank lever one arm of which is providedwith a hook-head adapted to be engaged by said arm and the other arm of which is provided with an armature and a magnet in connection. with which said armature operates.

2. In a third rail electric railway system, a third rail which is divided into separate position, a bell-crank lever one arm of which insulated parts dividing the track into blocks, a main feed wire or conductor, and a switch apparatus placed at the beginning of each block and in electrical connection with the corresponding third rail section and main feed wire, said switch device including a plunger operated by the Wheel or wheels of a car or cars, an arm operated by said plunger, a spring for holding said arm and said plunger both in inoperative is provided. with a hook-head adapted to he engaged by said arm and the other arm of which is provided with an armature and a magnet in connection with which said armature OP91&f/8S,'S8id arm being in elec-' tica'l connection with the feed wire and said lever with the corresponding section of the third rail.

3. In a third rail electric railway-system, a third rail which is divided into separate insulated parts dividing the track into blocks, a main feed wire or conductor, anda switch apparatus placed at the beginning of each block and in electrical connection and said plunger both in inoper'ative position, a bell-crank lever one arm of which is provided with a hook-headv adapted to he eifgaged by said arm and the other arm of which isprovided with an armature, a magnet in connection with which said armature operates, and a signal apparatus placed at the beginning of'each block and in electrical connection with the corresponding switch apparatus.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention 1- have signed my name in presence of the subscribing witnesses this 10th day or" June, 1912.

. MORRIS M. MARX. Witnesses:

C. MULREANY,

D. COLLINS. 

